2023-07-28 07:37:47
Governor Mutfwang: Innocent villagers are attacked while they sleep (PHOTO)
Kelkheim (ots) – The people of Nigeria have been suffering from attacks by Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and IS for years. These bring hate, destruction, expulsion, misery and death. Christian settlers are particularly affected. Attacks and violence by Fulani cattle herder militants against Christians in Plateau state have escalated recently. More than 300 Christians have been murdered since mid-April and around 80,000 people have been displaced. The Christians in central Nigeria therefore hold prayer vigils and ask for support.
The head of Open Doors Germany, Markus Rode, says: “Open Doors has been reporting for years on the targeted murder and expulsion of Christians in Nigeria. When it comes to religious freedom for Christians, this is largely ignored by Western governments and the media. In a Western country burns a holy book – which is reprehensible – there are media earthquakes and an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.. In contrast, thousands of Christians murdered by Islamists often do not seem to be worth even a side note.Politics and media should raise your voice for the unbelievable plight of these people. In their sad situation, the families of the victims ask for prayer and we want to pass this on, because we believe in the power of prayer. Christians in Nigeria have faith in help from their government almost lost, thank God they kept their faith in Jesus Christ.”
“This is not just a struggle between farmers and shepherds”
The state of Plateau lies on the dividing line between the predominantly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south of Nigeria and has therefore been a trouble spot for years. Since April there have been increased attacks on Christian settlers by mostly Muslim Fulani, who repeatedly attacked villages shouting Allahu Akbar. They looted and burned the homes of Christians, killing many as they tried to flee.
The Nigerian Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, visited Mangu on July 22 and announced the launch of special operations to “wipe out” the crisis.
According to information from Open Doors, the attacks took place almost daily in various municipalities, mainly in the Mangu district (LGA). Nigerian Christian Danladi survived the attack on his village. “It was at night,” he said. “We were just at home when they surrounded the whole commune. They came and started shooting; they killed many of us, we narrowly escaped. Our houses were burned down.” Danladi has lost all his belongings. He is desperate: “We are calling on Christians throughout Nigeria to come to our aid.”
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang told reporters on July 23: “What we are witnessing here is […] a carefully planned operation to decimate our population. It is important to realize that this is not just a struggle between farmers and shepherds, as is usually portrayed. This is a situation where innocent villagers are being attacked at night while they are sleeping.”
According to Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam of the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation(2) the attacks have escalated dramatically in recent months. He asks: “The underestimation of the value of human life without respect for the humanity we all share is incomprehensible. How much longer do we have to endure these religiously motivated and criminal murders in Nigeria?”
According to the foundation, between April 17 and July 10, a total of 346 people, including 315 Christians, were killed in a targeted manner. Rev. Para-Mallam also challenged the simplistic depiction of retaliatory attacks, which he said obscured the real problem of sectarian violence in the center and north of the country. This is also the reason why the unlawful killings have been going on for far too long – not only in Mangu, but also in other hot spots in Nigeria’s central belt.
Christian communities in neighboring governorates have also seen a surge in violence at the hands of Islamist Fulani. According to reports from Open Doors, more than 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith in Nigeria in the reporting period October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, and more than 4,700 were kidnapped. The country ranks sixth in the World Persecution Index, a ranking of the 50 countries where Christians are persecuted most severely, due to extreme persecution and discrimination against Christians.
Sources:
Open Doors
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